Mamluk - Al-Qadim Prestige Class
This Prestige class uses elements that may not be applicable to the Forgotten Realms Campaign
The mamluk of Al-Qadim is a rare mix of warrior and scholar. Trained from childhood as an educated, fanatical warrior, the mamluk is without peer on the battlefield. Mamluk legions are as fierce as any fighting force and as disciplined as any army.
Each mamluk bears facial tattoos that indicate the legion to which he belongs. These simple tattoos also denote his rank within the legion. Each mamluk legion sports different patterns for rank, but all are recognizable to any mamluk.
Mamluks are fanatically loyal to others in their legions, and they readily take orders from any higher-ranking member. Rank is the final arbiter in all disputes of authority within a legion. Any mamluk may give orders to another of lower rank in the same legion and expect those orders to be carried out, unless they are countermanded by a mamluk who is superior to both.
Fighters gain the most from taking this class, although many mamluks are also paladins and rangers. A small but growing number of monks have joined the ranks of mamluks, drawn by the strict discipline and rigid codes of the order. Their refusal to wear armor or shields earns them a measure of respect from those who otherwise would mock them. Other classes have little to gain from the class, and find its requirements difficult to achieve.
NPC mamluks can be found in isolated desert oases, training and drilling, in cities, or in armies on the march.
Hit Die: d12
To qualify to become a Mamluk, a character must fulfill all the following criteria:
- Alignment: Any lawful
- Skills: Knowledge (history) 4 ranks, Survival 4 ranks.
- Feats: Great Fortitude, Toughness,
- Base Attack Bonus: +5
- Base Fortitude Saving Throw: +4.
From:
Dragon #321
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